Fabric tearing machine



July 29, 1941. D. .A. CUMFER FABRIC TEARING MACHINE Filed May 18, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Dana/d 19. Cum/er BY WW+W ATTORNEY July 29, 1941.

D. A. CUMFER 2,250,572

FABRIC TEARING MACHINE Filed May 18, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Jana/a fl (ion/er .224? ou rM ATTORNEY y 1941- A. CUMFER 2,250,572

FABRIC TEARING MACHINE Filed May 18, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented July 29,194;-

umm sTArEs fpAr-sur ,OFYFICE Donald A. Curnfen'kidgewood, N. 1., assignor of one-half to Ralph W. B

x N. Ye

. Reade, Port-Washing- Application May is, 1940,,Serial No. 335,942

16 Claims. (c1. 10544.5)

This invention relates to fabric tearing machines and has particular reference to machines for tearing from a long web sections of fabric such as is used for bed sheets and similar articles. -One' object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character indicated which will operate accurately and at high speed. I

Another object is to provide. a tearing machine which can be quickly and-accurately adjusted to tear pieces of material of different lengths from .erence to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, the novel features being pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In said drawings:

Fig. 11 is a view on the linel l-li of Fig. 1.

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating the construction of the tearing roll of the tearing mechanism.

Fig. 13 is an end view of the tearing roll and the roll opposing the tearing roll.

7 Fig. 14 is a side view. of the pinch-conveyor used for handlingthe tearing mechanism.

Fig. 15 is a frontview of the pinch conveyor illustrated in Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 illustrates the construction of the spring web'whichhas passed'the belts of the pinch conveyor, and

Fig. 1 is a side viewof a machine constructed according to the invention, with some of the frame work broken away to expose certain of theparts to view.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates more or less diagrammatically the construction and arrangement of the feed rolls for the fabric, the knife for cutting or nicking the fabric to initiate a tear and the rolls for completing each tear so initiated.

Fig. 4 illustrates diagrammatically the way in which doubled fabric is nicked or cut at the fold edge to initiate tears.

- Fig. 5 illustrates the construction of the clutch and associated .parts for operating the knife mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2 and shows the construction of the knife carrier and knife as well as some of the immediately associated parts for operating the knife, and also includes some of the switch mechanism forcausing operations of the tearing mechanism to complete the tears initiated by operations of the knife.

Fig- I is the same as Fig. 6 except that the parts are shown in a different position.

Fig. 8 is a section along the line 8-4 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is the same as Fig. 8 except that the Fig. 17 (Sheet 1 of the drawings) illustrates in somewhat diagrammatic form, the construction of a change speed device which is employed to determine the lengths torn from the web.

In the manufacture of bed sheets and other articles the fabric is woven in any length desired, running sometimes into the thousands of yards. After-weaving, the woven web undergoes such processes asfbleaching, drying, printing, calendering and finishing. After these processes are completed wide webs are rim over a folding unit which brings the selvage edges together and makes a fold running longitudinally of the center of the web. After folding, the web is usually wound into mill rolls which may contain as much as a thousand lineal yards of material. Material which is folded along its center longitudinal, line,

with the selvage edges in alignment, is known in the, trade as a 'double fold. Sometimes the material is folded again so as to make four plies of material and this fold is known as doubledouble fold.

The present apparatus is designed to work upon either a single web or upon a web having the double fold. In case the material has the double-double fold it must be changed to a double a fold; that is, with the fabric in two plies having the selvages at one edge and the fold crease at the other edge. The apparatus is designed to do automatically and continuously, work which has previously been done only by hand. In the previous practice the fabric coming from the mill roll' is pulled manually across the top of what is known as a tearing table and is clamped at its free end to the table. The, operator then,walks knife is shown in the position-it occupies when ithas operated to nick or cut the fabric.

back and slits the fold edge on a short vertical knife blade attached to the top of the table and then grasps the web at each side of the slit and tears the sheet from the web. The tear follows between two woof threads all the way across the web. a

It has been and still is necessary to tear the i Q fabric as the W001 threads become distorted in and if the fabric is cut oraheared along a straight line the wool; threads adjacent the cuts may not be parallel to the cuts and then when the article is laundered it will 'be found that the ends of the sheet or similar article willbeirregularandwillmuallynotbe'atrlght angles to the edges. when the fabric is tom the woof threads w'ill,.after laundering, be at the angle mentioned sothat the laundered arti-" 'clewillhave straightendsandwillberectangular.

The apparatus 111 ted and described herein 1 willtearsheetsasaccuratelyascanbedoneby handandwllltearagoodmanytimesasmany by pins 42 in the. block at extending through inclined slots 43 in the knife. The pins 42 and the 1 slots If cooperate in such a way that if the knife sheets, for example, during a period of time as can be torn by the most skilled hand operator. In addition, the hand tearingis exhausting and operators cannot endure the work for any great length of time. 7

Referring to thedrawings, the material II is shown asbeingdrawnfromamillrolllLFlgs. 1 and 2, although obviously it might be drawn directly from the machineperforming the last finishing operation upon it. As the material passes through the machine it is nicked or cut at the fold edge to start tears and the tears are then completed at. a later point in the movement of the material. The torn'oif sections are then drawn away from the tearing mechanism by a pinch conveyor and deposited in folded form by that conveyor .on another conveyor or in some suitable receptacle.

The web passes from the'mill roll or other source of suppl under an idler roll 22 and over a spreader roll 28. This spreader roll has helical grooves and lands :4, running in opposite directions from the middle of the roll, as illustrated in Hg. 2, and serves to spread the web and keep it list. From the spreader roll 23 the web passes under a roller which is usually referred to herein as the measuring roller. It is driven by the traveling. web and in turn drives a control mechanism which regulates or times operations of the .knife and tearing mechanism according to the lengths of sections which are to be torn from the web. I

' From the measuring roller the web passes between two rollers II and 2|, the latter roll being provided with a shaft or trunnions rotating in blocks :1 adjustably mounted in openings in the frame of the machine and held adjusted by a hand screw 28. The rolls II and 2 are driven at a uniform speed and, assisted by other rollersmaterial, although if the web is started through properly it will always be fairly taut between the rollers ll, 20 and the rollers ll, 32. The knife mechanism previously mentioned operates upon thewebwhileitisbetweenthetwopairsofrollers, an opening in the guide 88 being provided for that purpose is moved to the right from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 8 to the position in which it is shown inli'lg. 9, the knife is thrust down so that its cutting edge will cut the fabric 20. The roller 38 opposing the knife. carrying roll is provided with a slot II to receive the cutting edge of the knife, one edge of the slot acting somewhat in the nature of a shear for the knife edge.

The shafts l6 and f1 are-geared together sothat when the shafts and the rollers 34 and fl are periodically turned as hereinafter described, the

knife ll and the slot will always be in alignment as the knife passes the cutting point.

The knife ll is normally held retractedln the position inrwhich it is shown in Fig. 8 by a cam 48 which is secured to the adjacent frame or the machine. The face of the cam engaging the knife is so constructed that the knife is held retracted until the knife carrying roller 34 is turned to bring the knife substantially in the position illustrated in Fig. 7, whereupon the end of the knife trips from the shoulder 47 on the cam and is propelled endwise by a spring ll fastened to the radial face of the roller 34 and having its free end engaging alug 49 on the knife blade. An adjustment ll permits regulating the tension on the knife operating spring. I

After the knife has operated to out or nick the edge of the web the portion containing the cut passes between the rollers 3i, and 32 which, like the rollers 25 and 26, are driven continuously at a uniform speed. After the out has passed be tween the rollers fl and 32 the tearing mechanism is broughtinto play to complete the v tears initiated by the knife cuts.

The tearing mechanism comprises a rubber roller 53 which has a smooth continuous surface and a roller 54 which has its eflective portion of the same diameter as the roller 53. In the con struction illustrated, half of the surface of the roller 54 is cut away as at so as not to contact the web under any circumstances and the other half is cut away along a line 56 which is approximately heiical to form a tearing edge. Preferably this is done in such a way that the uncut portion of the roll at one end 51, Fig. 12, extends approximately mm of the circumference of the roll while at the other end I8 the uncut surface extends approximately 90 of the circumference of the roll, although this may be changed according to varying conditions. Normally the rolls i3 and 54 are not rotating, but after the knife cut has passed between the rollers .II and 32 the The knifefis carried a short roller 34 attached to a shaft 3! and a cooperating short roller II keyed at 40 (Fig. 3) on a shaft 31. The short roller 84 carries the knife for cutting the fabric to initiate crosswise tears.

.The knife and the partsimmediately associated therewith are illustrated somewhat n derollers 53 and 54 are driven and at a higher speed than the rollers fl and 32. This causes what might be termed the corner 69 of the grip ping surface on the roll 54 to engage the web at the edge containing the knife cut and then, because of the higher peripheral speed and the configuration of the tearing edge II, will complete the tear by the stress applied progressively and continuously across the web between the rollers 53, i4 and the rollers ll, 32. The mechanism for operating the knife and. the tearing mechanism in properly timed relation and the mechanism for changing the time intervening between knife cuts and operations of the tearing mechanism to vary the length of the sections torn oi! will next be described. v

One end of the shaft of the measuring roller 28' is extended through the machine frame and carries a bevel gear 8i, Figs. 1 and 2, which meshes with a bevel 'gear 82 on a shaft (see also Fig. 17) of a change speed gear set of a well known type. The shaft 88 has attached to it a wide faced gear 88. Slidably mounted on the shaft 68 is a speed control handle 88 extending through a suitably shaped slot in the casing 88 of the gear set. Rotatably mounted on the inner end of the handle 68 is a gear 81 which is constantly driven by the gear 88 and can be slid along the wide faced gear 88 by the handle I planetary gear 81 is in engagement with the gear 88 of largest diameter the lowest speed of rotation of the shaft 89 will be obtained. This variation of the speed of the shaft 68 is for the purpose of changing the length of the sections torn from the end of the web.

The shaft 88 is provided with a crank 1| and link 12 for operating a limit switch which may be of any suitable construction to close the connection momentarily through a solenoid 18 which has its armature extended to form a plunger controlling a clutch for connecting and disconmeeting the knife mechanism. The construction is such that the shafts 85 and 81 of the .knife mechanism are given one complete rotation and then stopped until another measured section of the web has been fed over the measuring roller 28 to the point where the knife mechanism should again operate.

The clutch is of a type which is-generally well known and is illustrated in Fig. 5. It comprises a gear 15 which is loose on the shaft 88 but is rigid with a clutch member 18. A cooperating clutch member 11 is splined on the shaft 88 and is normally held out of engagement with-the member 18 by the solenoid plunger 18. Rigid with the member 11 is a collar 8I having a circumferential groove in which is mounted a mem-' ber 82 which cooperates with the solenoid plunger to hold the clutch member 11 stationary until the plunger is withdrawn and then after a rotation of the clutch member 11, cooperates with the plunger to withdraw the clutch member 11 from engagement with member 18 and stop the member 11 from further rotation. This stoppage of the clutch member is eflected by a cross shoulder on the member 82 which cooperates with the somewhatin the manner of a friction brake to insure maintaining the clutch driving member 11 in proper position between operations.

in the side frame ofthe machine by 88 so that the knife roller 88 and 'its opposing roller 88 are turned relations.

The fearing rollers" 88 and 88 areoperated through a clutch which is designated generally by the numeral 81 and which is substantially the same in construction and operation as the clutchfor the knife mechanism. The solenoid "for 'the'tearing mechanism clutch "is energized through a limit switch which is closed mov mentarily in a timed relation with the knife operating' mechanism. roller 88 is provided with a cam or shoulder 88. Figs. 6 and 7, which engages a roller 8! on a switch arm 82 "and thereby closes the switch '88 momentarily to energize'the clutch solenoid 88 to release the driving clutch member and-then "permits the switch to open and deenergize the solenoid in ample time for its plunger to disconnect the tearing roller clutch at the end of a rotation'of the tearing rollers.

The power for driving all of the mechanisms so far mentioned comes from a motor 88, Fig. 1,

connected by a V-belt drive 88 to ajlarge pulley 81 on the main driving shaft 88. Thispulley may be loose on the shaft and disconnected from and connected thereto by a clutch 88 or it may be directly connected to theshaft, depending web feeding roller 8| is attached. Attached to the other end .of the shaft I88 is a gear I88 engaging an idler I85 which in turn ismeshed with the gear 15 of the knifeoperating clutch "mecha-f nism. The gear 15 acts through an idler gear I" to drive a gear I81 secured to the shaft or trun-' Also driven by the gear nion I88 of the roller 28. I88 is an idler gear I88 meshing-with a gear II8 rigid with the driving member of the clutch 81.

It will be apparent that the power from the motor will be applied through the various belt and gear connections in such a way that the rollers 25, 28, and 8|. 82 will be rotated con stantly and at substantially the sameperipheral speed and that the driving member of the knife clutch and the knife roller 88 will also be turned at that same peripheral speed. Therefore the knife, when called into play. will act upon the web while the web and knife carrying roller 88 are moving at the same speed,- this preventing any tendency to cause the knife to bind or fail to operate when the knife operating spring 88 is released.

As previously stated, the tearing rollers 88 and i 58 are operated at a higher peripheral speedthan the rollers 8|, 82 so as to apply a progressive tearing stress across the'web 28 when it is en-' gaged by the tearing'edge 58 of the roller 88.

This may be eflectedby making the gear I II for driving the drivenjmember 81 of the tearing clutch smaller in diameter'thanthe gear I88 so that-the peripheral speed of the tearing rollers will begreater'than the speed of the rollers 8I',

82. or the same result can be accomplished by making the roller 53 and the-effective part of the roller 58 of greater diameters than the diameters f of the rolls 8| and 82.- In the drawings thelatter 1' construction is illustrated.

-As also previously stated.'clutch "drives the The shafts" and 81 are. geared together withgears "and in properly synchronized For this purpose the knife rollar 53 and this movement is transmitted to the cut away tearing roller 54 through gears III, I I2,

- connecting the shafts of the two rollers, so that no matter what the peripheral speed may be the two rollers will operate in synchronism to grip and apply the tearing stress to the web. The pping tension between the two rolls can be adjusted by the hand wheels Ill in the same manner as previously explained in connection with the adjustment of the other rollers. The web passes over a guide I, Fig. 1, and between the tearing rollers.

As pointed out the tearing rollers 53, I are normally stationary and are only given their single turn after the knife cut has passed between the rollers II, 32. After leaving or passing between the tearing rollers the web is directed by a guide III into a mechanism which is usually termed herein an oscillatingipinch belt 6011-. veyor for keeping the web flat and smooth and taut enough to prevent slack. This makes it certain that tearing stress will be immediately applied when the tearing rollers are operated.-

This conveyor mechanism includes a shaft IIB which is driven to drive the conveyor spring belts. The driving connection for the shaft I I8 includes (Figs. 1 and a sprocket IIII on the shaft and a sprocket chain I II which is driven by a sprocket III on a. short shaft H9. The shaft IIO runs continuously and attached to it is a grooved roller I22. The shaft II is connected by a gear'l23 and gear I24 to a shaft I on which is fixed another grooved roller I25. The shafts IIS and I2. are journaled in brackets I2. attached to the machine frame work. Pivoted on the brackets I26 are conveyor side frame members I21 which at their lower ends are pivoted, as at I28, to a member I29 in which are journaled thetrunnions of grooved rollers I3I and I32. The spring belts I33 of one set are mounted in the grooves of the rollersI22 and lil and the other set of spring belts I34 is mounted in the grooves of the rollers I and I32. The construction of the spring belts, as illustrated in Fig. 16, includes a .well known form of connecting the ends of a spring of sufficient length to constitute a belt by twisting a reduced spring section I35 on one end into the coil of the spring at the other end. The belts of one set are staggered, with respect to the belts of the other set, and the meeting runs of the belts operate one slightly within the outside plane of the other to give a good frictional contact with the web. Cross rods of any suitable construction, indicated generally at I36 (Fig. 1), may be employed if desired to give lateral stiflness to the side members I21.

The side frame members I21 are oscillated on their pivotal supports to swing the spring belt conveyor to and fro while the belts are being driven to deposit the torn off sections of the web in folded conditionin a receptacle. In the construction illustrated in the drawings, a chain belt conveyor Ill is provided with partitions I42 extending laterally of .the conveyor and forming receptacles in which the torn off sections are folded by the swinging end feeding movement of the spring belt conveyor. The conveyor MI is given a step-by-step movement to bring an empty receptacle in position as soonas the preceding receptacle has received the intended number of torn off sections. It is obvious, of course, that the conveyor III and its receptacles may be replaced by some other receiver such as a continuously running conveyor which will deliver the sections to the desired point.

The mechanism for swinging the spring belt conveyor comprises alink I connecting the conveyor side frame members I2'I to a crank I on the end of the short shaft .I I9, which, as pre- 6 viously mentioned, also carries the sprocket for driving the chain Ill. The crank I is of such length that the spring belt conveyor will be swung to or through all of the, positions indicated in Fig. 1 at each turn of the shaft. The shaft III 10 is driven through a sprocket I" on the shaft engaging a sprocket chain I which is driven by a sprocket I" (Fig. 2) on the end of the shaft I03.

It is desirable to have the spring belt conveyor is running faster than the speed at which the web is delivered through the tearing rolls so asto' prevent slack in the material when it is engaged by the tearing rolls. This is accomplished by so v proportioning the sprockets Ill and II" that go the efiect stated will be obtained. The frictional grip of the spring belts on the web will tend at all times to draw the material flat and smooth,

torn off sections.

35 In the foregoing specification the measuring roll driven by the web controls the lengths of the intervals between operations of the knife I and the bearing rollers, but it is obvious that the change speed gearing shown and described may so be connected to a mechanically driven part of the machine and used to control the knife and tearing clutches in substantially the same way as described. 7

In explaining the construction of the apparatus it has been deemed advisable to state the operation as the explanation proceeded, so a rsum I of that operation is thought to be unnecessary here.

It is obvious from the foregoing description capable of various modifications and changes and it is not the desire to be limited by the drawin'gs and description except to the extent indicated in the claims which follow.

,What I claim is: z

1. An apparatus comprising in combination driven rollers for drawing a longitudinally folded web of woven fabric from a source of supply, a knife operable to cut the fabric at its folded longitudinal edge to initiate a tear, a measuring roller driven by the moving web, knife operating devices controlled by said measuring roller for actuating the knife at regularly timed intervals for the purpose stated, and tearing devices operated in a timed relation with the knife operating devices for tearing the fabric the full width starting with each knife cut.

2. An apparatus comprising in combination driven rollers for drawing a longitudinally folded web of woven fabric from a source of supply, a knife operable to cut the fabric at its folded longitudinal edge to initiate a tear, a measuring roller driven by the moving web, knife operating devices controlled by said measuring roller for actuating the knife alt regularly timed intervals for thepurpose stated, and tearing devices controlled by and operated in a timed relation with the knife operating devices for tearing the fabric the full width starting with each knife cut.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination a plurality of driven rollers for drawing a web of longitudinally folded fabric from a source of supply, a knife operable while the web is moving to nick the fabric at its folded longitudinal edge to initiate a tear, a meas-- thatthe apparatus shown and described isuring roller driven by the moving web, knife operating devices controlled by said measuring roller for actuating the knife at regularly timed intervals for the purpose stated, means intermediate the measuring roller and the knife op erating devices adjustable to vary the length of,

comprising in combination a plurality of pairs.

of driven rollers for drawing a longitudinally doubled web of woven fabric from a mill roll, a knife operable periodically to cut through the fabric at the fold edge to initiate cross-wise tears, a measuring roller driven by the fabric, a change speed gearing, a knife operating mechanism, means controlled by the measuring roller through the change speed gearing for periodically actuating the knife operating mechanism, a. normally inactive tearing mechanism for completing the cross-wise tears initiated by the knife cuts, and means controlled by the knife operating mechanism for periodically rendering the vtearing mechanism efiective for the purpose stated.

5. An apparatus of the character described" comprising in combination driven rollers for drawing a longitudinally doubled web of woven fabric from a mill 'roll, a knife operable periodically to cut through the fabric at the fold edge of the doubled fabric to initiate tears crosswise of the web, a measuring roller driven by the web, a knife operating mechanism, means controlled by the measuring roller for periodically actuating the knife operating mechanism, a tearing mechanism for completing the tears initiated by the knife cuts, and means controlled by the knife operating mechanism for periodically operating said tearing mechanism in a timed relationship with operations of the knife.

6. An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a plurality of driven rollers for drawing a web of longitudinally folded fabric from a source of supply, a knife operable while the web is moving to cut the fabric at its longitudinally folded edge to initiate a tear, a measuring roller driven by the fabric, knife operating devices controlled by said measuring roller and operating the knife at regularly timed intervals,

devices controlled. by and actuated in a timed relation with the knife operating devices for tearing the fabric the full width starting with each knife cut, and means intermediate the measuring roller and the knife operating devices adjustable to vary the length of intervals between operations of the knife and the tearing devices.

'7. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination a pair of driven rollers for drawing a web of fabric from a source of supply, a second pair of driven rollers for taking the web from the first pair of rollers, the two pairs having substantially the same peripheral speed, a knife between the two pairs of rollers operable periodically to nick one edge of the web to initiate tears and means for periodically operating the knife, and tearing devices actuated after ealch nick in the web has passed the second pair of rollers to apply a laterally progressive tearing stress across the fabric between said tearing devices and said rollers to complete the tears initiated by operations of the knife.

ers for drawing a web of fabric from a source H of supply, a second pairofdriven rollers for taking the web from the flrstpair, the two pairs having substantially these-me peripheralspeed,

a knife between the two pairs of rollers operable periodically to nick one edge of the web to initiate tears and means for periodically operating the knife, tearing devices constructed to apply tearing stresses progressively and laterally across the web between said devices and said second pair of rollers to complete the tears initiated'by operations of the knife, and means for actuating said tearing devices in a timed relation to operations of the knife. 4,

9. An apparatus of the characterdescribed comprising in combination a pair of driven rollers for drawing a web of fabric from a source of supply, a second pair of driven rollers takin the web from the first rollers, a knife operated periodically between said pairs of rollers to cut one edge of the fabric to initiate cross-wise tears. a pair of tearing rollers, one of which has a helical tearing edge cooperating with the other tearing roller and with the second pair of driven rollers to apply tearing stresses to the-web starting with the edge containing the knife cuts and then progressively across the webwhereby to tear the web its full width, and means for pcriodically driving the tearing-rollers at a higher peripheral speed than the aforesaid driven rollers. f

10. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination a pair of driven rollers for drawing a web of fabric from a source of supply, a second pair of driven rollers taking periodically between said pairs of rollers to cut one edge ofthe fabric to initiate cross-wise tears, a pair of tearing rollers, one of which has a helical tearing edge cooperating with the other tearing roller and with the second pair of driven rollers to apply tearing stresses to the web starting with the edge containing the knife cuts and then progressively across the web whereby to tear the web its full width, means for periodically driving the tearing rollers at a higher peripheral speed than the aforesaid driven rollers, and means controlled by the moving web for operating the knife and the tearing roll driving means in a timed relation for the purposes stated.

11. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination a pair of driven rollers for-drawing a longitudinally doubled web of fabric from a source of supply, a. second pair of driven rollers taking the web from the first rollers, a knife operated periodically between said pairs of rollers to nick the fold edge of the fabric to initiate cross-wise tears, a pair of tearing rollers, one of which has a helical edge cooperating with the other tearing roller and with the second pair of driven rollers to app tearing stresses to the web starting with the edge containing 'the aforesaid knife nicks and then progressively across the web whereby to tear the web its full width, and means-for periodically driving the tearing rollers at a higher peripheral speed than the second pair of driven rollers.

12. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination driven rollers for drawing a web of fabric from a mill roll or other source of supply, a spreader roll driven by the web and constructed with oppositely running 8. An apparatus of the character described grooves and lands for spreading the web flat be- 6 twemsaidsourceotsupplyandsaiddriven -rolls,ameasuringml1alsodrivenbytheweb.

groovesandlandsiorspreadingthewebiiatbe-- tween said source of supply and said driven rolls, a measuring roll also driven by the web, devices controlled by the measuring roll for initiatingandthencompletingtearsthe iullwidth oi the fabric, a pinch belt conveyor for drawing the torn oi! portions 01 the web away from the tearingdevices,andaguldeconstructedtodirect said notions into the pinch belt conveyor.

14. An apparatus of the character described comprising in combination driven rollers for drawing a web of fabric from a mill roll or other source of supply,- a measuring roll-driven by the web, de ices controlled by the measuring roll for initiating and then completing tears the full width of the fabric. a pinch belt conveyor constructedtoseisethetornofl secticnsoithe webanddrawthemtromthetearingdevices.

andmeansioroseillatingsaldoonveycrtoiold saidtornoitsectionsonarcceiver.

15.Anapparatuso!thecharacterdescribed comprising in combination driven rollers for drawingsweboitabriciromamillrollorother sourceoisupplmameasuringrolldriv'enbythe' akniieoperablepcriodicallytonickthetabric' at one edgeoitheweb-toinitiatetearscrosawiseoitheweb,akniieoperatingmechanism.a tearing mechanism (or completing the tears initiated by the knife cuts by applying a-tearingstressprcgressivelyacrwthewehsndmeam iorvaryingthelengthsorintervalsbetweenoperationsotthekniiesndtearingmechanismto determine the lengths of sections to be torn Iran theweb.

DONALD A. com 

